The Weekly Independent: October 24, 2016

Being a successful independent contractor or a client of choice isn’t just about doing the best work or having the best perks. It also means staying one step ahead of the curve. That’s why each week we bring you The Weekly Independent, a quick-hit digest of news of note from around the web.

It’s a busy time here at MBO Partners as we help prepare our associates and clients to be set up for success in their year-end and 2017 business goals. That also means lots of speaking engagements – CEO Gene Zaino spent part of last week at the American Employment Lawyers Conference, where he helped educate top legal counsel on the fast-changing independent workforce, and how best to engage the independent service professional. COO Dave Cassar will also be leading a similar webinar with SpendMatters on November 15th – register here.

We’re still weeks away from knowing who will be our new commander in chief, but CBS takes a look at what could happen if Trump becomes president. Hint, it’s good news for the self-employed workforce. Trump’s policies suggest he would place a 15% flat tax on small businesses, which would incentivize high-earners to become independent. Currently, top earners pay a maximum of 39.6%. Trump’s policies would lower top individual earning tax rates to 33%, but the reduced taxes on small businesses would further incentivize such individuals to set up a compliant independent business structure in order to pay fewer taxes.